THE first of the federal government's new preventative measures to protect the country from the threat of biosecurity diseases were on full display at airports across the country on Thursday.
Sniffer dogs, signage and biosecurity officers were among the new measures implemented after foot and mouth disease was detected in Bali earlier this week.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the threat of FMD was a top priority for the government and that the new measures were in addition to those the government already had in place.
However, Nationals leader and former federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said after a briefing from the Department of Agriculture, he was concerned the government wasn't doing enough to keep the threat at bay.
"It is concerning to be honest, because by it being detected in Bali it shows that it has gone to another level and that things are moving quicker than we'd like," Mr Littleproud said.
"I took a briefing from the department on Wednesday about the new measures and I do welcome the changes, but there is still a number of people who still don't declare upon entering Australia.
"After that briefing, I had it clear in my head that if I was still the Minister, I would be asking for foot baths regardless of the inconvenience because this is a full-on war and unless you take every measure, it will only take one person to create a problem that could cost this country as much as JobKeeper."
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Mr Littleproud said while footbaths for returning travellers wouldn't be "a silver bullet to the problem" they could help prevent FMD from arriving on Australian shores.
"It is not just about people coming back from Bali but Indonesia as a whole and it is important to understand it will only take one person for things to go wrong," he said.
"The other important aspect to this is the fact that the sniffer dogs can not pick up FMD off the bottom of someone's shoe, so therefore there is a vulnerability.
"It is not just about people coming back from Bali but Indonesia as a whole and it is important to understand it will only take one person for things to go wrong.
"I understand that foot baths could be seen as inconvenient but the reality is that if someone has declared that they have been on a farm, they are going to be looked at anyway.
"It's also important that there is dialogue with other countries about FMD and Lumpy Skin so that if there is any need of increasing our assistance, we can get onto to it quickly."
KAP calls for urgent roundtable
Katter's Australian Party leader Rob Katter has called on Mr Watt to urgently call a roundtable with all state and territory Agriculture Ministers to ensure that a comprehensive, nation-wide preventative and control plan was in place.
"We currently have around 25 million head of cattle in the country, almost half of which are in Queensland - this is a Queensland problem more than it is anyone else's," he said.
"Queensland Agricultural Minister Mark Furner should be leading the charge on this - the risks weigh heavily on North Queensland, with more than 200,000 head of cattle being exported from the Townsville Port each year.
"This will all be wiped out following the arrival of these diseases.
"The gross value of beef production in Queensland is more than $6 billion each year, and we export to 66 countries. This is now at immediate risk."
Mr Katter wants the Queensland government to pledge additional funding to control the diseases, calling for immediate investment in vaccine, containment, and surveillance programs.
AgForce Queensland deputy general president John Baker said the detection of FMD and Lumpy Skin Disease was cause for producers to be alert but not alarmed.
"By alert we mean people on the land to be vigilant, monitor your livestock and if you see any evidence of anything you are suspicious of, contact your vets immediately," Mr Baker said.
"Also for anyone travelling overseas, particularly to Bali because it has been detected in Bali over the past few days and because Bali is a very popular destination for people going on holidays, be very vigilant.
"Make sure all of your clothes, particularly your footwear is spotlessly clean and if possible leave it behind if it's not something of value.
"The consequences if any of these diseases were to get into Australia would be very catastrophic, so we're really urging people to be really on the lookout and be very careful because biosecurity is a huge issue at this time."